The invention provides an excimer laser system including a means for calibrating laser output to compensate for increased variation in laser optical fibers.

A gas discharge light source includes a gas discharge system that includes one or more gas discharge chambers. Each of the gas discharge chambers in the gas discharge system is filled with a respective gas mixture. For each gas discharge chamber, a pulsed energy is supplied to the respective gas mixture by activating its associated energy source to thereby produce a pulsed amplified light beam from the gas discharge chamber. One or more properties of the gas discharge system are determined. A gas maintenance scheme is selected from among a plurality of possible schemes based on the determined one or more properties of the gas discharge system. The selected gas maintenance scheme is applied to the gas discharge system. A gas maintenance scheme includes one or more parameters related to adding one or more supplemental gas mixtures to the gas discharge chambers of the gas discharge system.

A xenon chloride (XeCl) excimer laser includes a lasing-gas mixture including a buffer gas, a noble gas, a halogen-donating gas, and deuterium. The deuterium is present in a concentration greater than about 10 parts-per-million.

A xenon chloride (XeCl) excimer laser includes a lasing-gas mixture including a buffer gas, a noble gas, a halogen-donating gas, and deuterium. The deuterium is present in a concentration greater than about 10 parts-per-million.

Disclosed herein a vacuum ultra violet light source device that is capable of suppressing an amount of ozone generation when the vacuum ultra violet light is emitted into an atmosphere containing oxygen, a light irradiation device incorporating the vacuum ultra violet light device, and a method of patterning a self-assembled monolayer employing the light irradiation device. The light irradiation device is configured to irradiate a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) formed on a workpiece with light containing vacuum ultra violet light through a mask M on which a prescribed pattern is formed so as to perform a patterning process of the SAM. The light containing the vacuum ultra violet light to be irradiated onto the SAM is light that is pulsed light and has a duty ratio of light emission equal to or greater than 0.00001 and equal to or less than 0.01.

An optical member is provided with a substrate and a Cu-proof protective layer formed on or above the substrate.

The laser system may include first and second laser apparatuses and a beam delivery device. The first laser apparatus may be provided so as to emit a first laser beam to the beam delivery device in a first direction. The second laser apparatus may be provided so as to emit a second laser beam to the beam delivery device in a direction substantially parallel to the first direction. The beam delivery device may be configured to bundle the first and second laser beams and to emit the first and second laser beams from the beam delivery device to a beam delivery direction different from the first direction.

A gas discharge light source includes a gas discharge system that includes one or more gas discharge chambers. Each of the gas discharge chambers in the gas discharge system is filled with a respective gas mixture. For each gas discharge chamber, a pulsed energy is supplied to the respective gas mixture by activating its associated energy source to thereby produce a pulsed amplified light beam from the gas discharge chamber. One or more properties of the gas discharge system are determined. A gas maintenance scheme is selected from among a plurality of possible schemes based on the determined one or more properties of the gas discharge system. The selected gas maintenance scheme is applied to the gas discharge system. A gas maintenance scheme includes one or more parameters related to adding one or more supplemental gas mixtures to the gas discharge chambers of the gas discharge system.

A gas discharge light source includes a gas discharge system that includes one or more gas discharge chambers. Each of the gas discharge chambers in the gas discharge system is filled with a respective gas mixture. For each gas discharge chamber, a pulsed energy is supplied to the respective gas mixture by activating its associated energy source to thereby produce a pulsed amplified light beam from the gas discharge chamber. One or more properties of the gas discharge system are determined. A gas maintenance scheme is selected from among a plurality of possible schemes based on the determined one or more properties of the gas discharge system. The selected gas maintenance scheme is applied to the gas discharge system. A gas maintenance scheme includes one or more parameters related to adding one or more supplemental gas mixtures to the gas discharge chambers of the gas discharge system.

Disclosed herein a vacuum ultra violet light source device that is capable of suppressing an amount of ozone generation when the vacuum ultra violet light is emitted into an atmosphere containing oxygen, a light irradiation device incorporating the vacuum ultra violet light device, and a method of patterning a self-assembled monolayer employing the light irradiation device. The light irradiation device is configured to irradiate a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) formed on a workpiece with light containing vacuum ultra violet light through a mask M on which a prescribed pattern is formed so as to perform a patterning process of the SAM. The light containing the vacuum ultra violet light to be irradiated onto the SAM is light that is pulsed light and has a duty ratio of light emission equal to or greater than 0.00001 and equal to or less than 0.01.